New song "Passing Through" need mixing help.

[TheGreatBongChicken]

Hey guys, some of you might remember me. I posted about four songs a while back and asked for feedback. Well, I'm back now and I think I've learned allot and have 1 new recording to show you.

I am stuck here though, I think it's two compressed... but not as bad as the old ones I put up. I'm also not satisfied with the bass guitar. The biggest thing I would like to ask about is in the bridge, there is a girl singing in the background, I don't know what to do with her voice... I got it as good as I could, but I would like feedback from you guys.

This is a band I play electric guitar for, I recorded them at my house.

Acoustic guitar - Julia Marie
Vocals - Julia Marie
Bg Vocals - Camilla Rae
Piano - Camilla Rae
Drums - Jamie Sinclair
Bass - Micah Daby
Electric guitar - me(I used a Fender Strat for the main part, and a 25 year old Leyenda Les Paul for the solo after the bridge)


Any feedback at all would be greatly appreciatted, including criticism.... I only want to get better.

Here's the link,

-James'

 

[TheGreatBongChicken]

Oh yeah, vocals were recorded with a SHURE KSM


-James'

 

[chrisharris]

Love the bass playing...the actual part is very creative. The bass and kick seem dominant in the mix, especially in relation to the vocal, which sounds a bit buried in parts.

The vocal is fighting the little piano line and the arpeggiated guitar lines. I think just panning would help a lot, actually. I can hear left and right, but don't be afraid to really spread some of the midrange frequency instruments out quite a bit.

I'm not crazy about the snare sound...too much top end, not enough meat...and something about the verb or something on it is putting it in a different room than the rest of the song.

Great lead tone, and she's got a really cool voice..I'd like to hear it better.

Yeah, the 2 biggest problems I've got are the distant sounding (but loud) drums and the vocal level...maybe a bass level that's too hot, not sure.

Also, at the very beginning, when the drums first come in, for like the first 4 or 5 seconds, the timing is kinda' whack...don't know if it's the drums or the bass or the vocal, but something's off.

Thanks for posting.

 

[Dave_M]

I agree, a little EQ cut in the bass freqs for the drums and bass guitar would clear up the mix and push the vocals forward - and she's got a unique, instantly likable voice.

If it were me, I'd start by isolating the drums and adjusting the EQ so the the kick drum is present but not as overpowering. Whatever I cut or boost on the drums, I'd start adjusting the bass guitar EQ the exact opposite. In other words, if I raised the kick drum 3db @ 100Hz, I'd cut the bass guitar at 100Hz by the same amount or more.

For the lead vocals, since she's got what I would call an "airy" voice, I'd look raising EQ around 8k - 12k.

It's a good tune though! Keep up the good work!

 

[TheGreatBongChicken]

Thanks, by the way we're doing a "tour" in upstate New York and Southeastern Canada right now and looking for places to play if anyone's interested.


I was wondering though if anyone had any ideas for the bridge, particularly the background vocals. I'm still lost there.


I'll be putting up a new mix of the song soon, I just need some more suggestions. I'll work particularly on the drums and bass. What do you guys think about putting a light chorus on the bass guitar?


-James'